Jennifer Brielmaier

Jennifer Brielmaier

Jennifer Brielmaier

Associate Professor

Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience: Animal models of neuropsychiatric disorders; behavioral phenotyping; behavioral neuropharmacology

Dr. Brielmaier received her Ph.D. in Biopsychology (now Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience) from George Mason University in 2010. She returned to the Psychology Department as a faculty member after completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institute of Mental Health. Dr. Brielmaier's primary focus at GMU is teaching undergraduate biological psychology and neuroscience courses. She also currently serves as the director of the undergraduate Psychology Honors program. Dr. Brielmaier was the recipient of a George Mason University Teaching Excellence Award in 2016.

Dr. Brielmaier's background includes research on the neurobehavioral effects of adolescent nicotine exposure, mouse behavioral phenotyping, and modeling neuropsychiatric conditions in nonhuman animals. She is currently focused on research on student engagement and satisfaction in different course modalities and the use of case studies in neuroscience teaching.

Selected Publications

Brielmaier J. The Woman Born Without a Cerebellum: A Real-Life Case Adapted for Use in an Undergraduate Developmental and Systems Neuroscience Course. Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education. 2016;15(1):C1.

Brielmaier J, Senerth JM, Silverman JL, Matteson PG, Millonig JH, DiCicco-Bloom E, Crawley JN. Chronic desipramine treatment rescues depression-related, social and cognitive deficits in Engrailed-2 knockout mice. Genes Brain Behav. 2014 Mar;13(3):286-298.

Brielmaier J, Matteson PG, Silverman JL, Senerth JM, Kelly S, Genestine M, Millonig JH, DiCicco-Bloom E, Crawley JN. Autism-relevant social abnormalities and cognitive deficits in engrailed-2 knockout mice. PLoS One. 2012; 7(7):e40914.

Brielmaier J, McDonald CG, Smith RF. Effects of acute stress on acquisition of nicotine conditioned place preference in adolescent rats: a role for corticotropin-releasing factor 1 receptors. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2012 Jan; 219(1):73-82.

Prager EM, Brielmaier J, Bergstrom HC, McGuire J, Johnson LR. Localization of mineralocorticoid receptors at mammalian synapses. PLoS One. 2010 Dec 15; 5(12):e14344.

Brielmaier JM, McDonald CG, Smith RF. Nicotine place preference in a biased conditioned place preference design. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2008 Mar; 89(1):94-100.

McDonald CG, Eppolito AK, Brielmaier JM, Smith LN, Bergstrom HC, Lawhead MR,Smith RF. Evidence for elevated nicotine-induced structural plasticity in nucleus accumbens of adolescent rats. Brain Res. 2007 Jun 2; 1151:211-218.

Brielmaier JM, McDonald CG, Smith RF. Immediate and long-term behavioral effects of a single nicotine injection in adolescent and adult rats. Neurotoxicol Teratol. 2007 Jan-Feb;29(1):74-80.

Smith LN, McDonald CG, Bergstrom HC, Brielmaier JM, Eppolito AK, Wheeler TL, Falco AM, Smith RF. Long-term changes in fear conditioning and anxiety-like behavior following nicotine exposure in adult versus adolescent rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2006; 85(1):91-97.

Courses Taught

Biopsychology -- PSYC 372

Biopsychology Lab -- PSYC 373

Brain and Behavior – PSYC 376

Principles of Learning – PSYC 304

Psychology Honors I -- PSYC 490

Psychology Honors II -- PSYC 491

Psychology Honors III -- PSYC 492

Molecular, Developmental and Systems Neuroscience – NEUR 335

Laboratory Methods in Behavioral Neuroscience – NEUR 395

Current Topics in Neuroscience – NEUR 410

Seminar in Neuroscience – NEUR 411

Education

Ph.D., 2010, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA

M.A., 2007, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA

B.S., 2004, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA

Recent Presentations

Kuo, Y., Luan, J., & Brielmaier, J. (2016). Learner control in online environments:
Understanding learner behaviors via learning analytics. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, April 2016.
 
Brielmaier, J. & Kuo, Y. (2015). Effect of instructional design on students’ motivation
to learn in an online psychology course. GMU Innovations in Teaching and Learning Conference, September 2016.
 
Kuo, Y., Luan, J., & Brielmaier, J. Investigating students’ use of lecture videos via data mining and surveys: A case study for understanding learning behaviors in online courses. International Conference on Web-Based Learning, November 2015.
 
Brielmaier, J. & Kuo, Y. Effect of instructional design on students’ motivation to learn in online courses. GMU Innovations in Teaching and Learning Conference, September 2015.
 
Brielmaier, J. & Kuo, Y. Instructional Design Cycle Applied to an Online Psychology Course. GMU Innovations in Teaching and Learning Conference, September
2014.